Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-07-11
Henry georges New Party.

Henry George's New Party.
Henry George has a paper in the
last number OF the North American
Review in which he takes very hope
ful view of the future of the new party he
istrying to build up. He says that that
party is not yet named, nor has it so
crystallized as to be in an effective
form for organization yet he de-
clares that the real starting point and
fundamental basis of all new parties
the essential principle-has been
promulgated and planted in the minds
of the people, and must grow into
strength and importance until the new
party that is to give it form and being
and power has become fixed and for
midable political fact. The idea from
which this new party is to germin-
ate and grow is his favorite
hobby Of tho eommonality of lands.
There can be no more ownership Id
land than in air. or in any other ele-
ment that comes to all from nature.
But his plan is not to violently wrest
land from those who, under usage,
prescription and law, are possessed OF
it in fee; the title is to be taken away
from the owners by indirection. In
sstead o! violently Wrestling it IRON
those who hold it, it is to be subtllely
taken from them by insidious degrees.
II is 10 become the sole object OF tax
alton. From it all the ordinary and
extraordinary expenses Of government
are to be derived. Nothing that
is created out of human labor
is to be taxed. The houses
on lots are not to be considered in the
assessment roll; neither are the inn
provements on land, such as the fruit
trees, the barns, the fences, or any
thing that has been placed there as
the result of creative labor. The
original soil, being a common proper
ty, will bear the burthens of the COM
mon expense. This is the idea upon
which great party, that is to contest
with and wipe out all the other parties,
is to be built up. The principle goes
either too far, or not far enough. 1t is
not logical to say that the soil be-
longs to the whole people unless
those who, de facto, are in possession
are bereft of it. If it is left
with them, and every public
expense is to be derived from it
by taxation, then the weakness
of the position, as far as the theory is
concerned, is'that it will not work as
Henry George expects it to work. The
landlord having control of the prop
erty, and being taxed to a greater ex-
tent than formerly, will simply rele-
gate that tax to the tenant by the ex-
action of proportionately increased
rents. This is inevitable, as long as
the option is left with the landlord.
The idea, therefore, is practically weak
and politically deceptive if Mr..
George is going to leave it it
in that condition. Now let us
see how it will work with respect
to farming lands. One of the higher
objects of Mr.. Georges party is to al
leviate the burthens of the mass, who
are workers and producers. This ele-
ment, it must be remembered,
is also the great consumer. If
the taxes are remanded solely
to lands, the farmer will do
as the city landlord, and will recoup
for his increased expenditure in carry
ing the public burthens by exacting a
higher price for his products. That
increased price must be paid by the
consumers, who are the mass whom
Henry George intends to relieve.
Where the benefit will come in to
them it would be difficult to see. I'm
less the new party is to take arbitrary
control of lands, both in the cities and
the country, and dispose of the usu-
fruct in it's own way, there would be
no relief to the masses as far as We
can see. And if it should do this,
il would be simply confscation. We
cannot, therefore, discern why this new
party should not, if it wants to act
frankly on its principles, start out in
the only logical way in which it
can give to the masses the benefits
it proposes for them on its theories.
Not to 'confiscate is TO leave the
lands with the present owners. To
make the lands pay all the taxes is to
leave it in the power of the present
owners to compel the non-landholders
to pay the increased taxes the new
party will place upon lands. Unless
Mr.. George has some intermediate idea
explanatory Of his grand idea, we do
not see that his new party is going to
relieve or help anybody. ~ IS
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